Exclusion Strategies Research Articles

Percutaneous Left Atrial Appendage Ligation for Stroke Prevention in Atrial Fibrillation.

Prevention of thromboembolic complications in atrial fibrillation remains a tremendous clinical challenge. Knowledge that the left atrial appendage (LAA) is the most common anatomical origin of cardioembolic strokes1 has been the main motivation to develop clinical and procedural strategies to exclude the LAA from the circulation, either surgically or percutaneously. This review discusses the rationale behind these strategies, their relative merits, and future prospects for LAA exclusion strategies.

Rationale and design of the extracranial Carotid artery Aneurysm Registry (CAR).

Aneurysms of the extracranial carotid artery (ECAA) are rare. Although most ECAA are identified in asymptomatic patients, serious neurological complications may occur. Current literature on treatment outcome contains mainly case reports and small case series with incomplete data and lack of long-term follow-up. There is clear lack on natural follow-up data, and there is no clear treatment algorithm. An international web-based registry to collect data on patients with ECAA is designed to provide clinical guidance on this scarce pathology. The Carotid Aneurysm Registry (CAR) is open for inclusion of all patients with a fusiform or saccular ECAA. Patients with primary or secondary ECAA can be enrolled in CAR independent of the type of treatment (conservative or invasive). CAR participation does not interfere with the local physician's treatment policy. Follow-up and imaging can also be scheduled according to local clinical practice. The primary endpoint of the CAR in conservative patients is occurrence of symptoms related to the aneurysm at 30 days, one, three, and five years. The primary endpoint in invasively treated patients is freedom from symptoms of the aneurysm at 30 days, one, three, and five years. Analyses will relate outcome to etiology, imaging characteristics, ECAA growth patterns, and (if applicable) revascularization technique applied. The aim of the registry is to prospectively collect follow-up data on patients with an ECAA, being either treated conservatively or by invasive aneurysm exclusion strategies. The CAR database will be used to address diagnostic and therapeutic research questions. Collecting and analyzing the data gained from the registry could be the first step towards development of treatment guidelines and expert consensus for the management of ECAA.

Representation of women in media

Media are just one of the means of production, maintenance and reproduction of stereotypes, which refer to groups. As Richard Dyer argues, the pattern of stereotypes is not neutral, they are intensely charged with emotions, and therefore are the fortresses of our tradition. How, in this sense, to avoid the pitfalls brought by representation and selfrepresentation of diversity, and respect for equal opportunities in the limited media space, and not to, in fact, manipulate with ideas of equality and diversity? Depending on the value orientation, be it either pure individual one or the one typical of a group, a distinctive ideological 'cage' where and towards which feelings are expressed, beliefs and attitudes represented, or actions made, an individual experiences the media representation of reality, its phenomena and events, and different people or groups, in two ways - as acceptance or hostility. Indeed, the prevailing ideas about women depend heavily on media representation. If the media do not report on women fairly and responsibly as regards gender, that is to say equally as on men, they contribute to misconceptions about women, offering uncritical views of diversity instead of the promotion of equal opportunities between men and women. Then the belief that 'being equal means being always - different' is not the essence of the changes to which the modern, democratic society aspires. In that way, boundaries are demarcated, and it is defined who is inside and who is outside of them, which, as a rule, establishes new 'traditional areas' as well as interests. The example of the representation of women in the media confirms sorts of exclusion strategies. Women are often portrayed as miserable, defenseless, victims of violence, having special needs, more vulnerable and emotional than men, professionally more insecure, and intellectually and physically inferior, when compared to the other gender. They are attributed terms which express the established views, sensationalist and sexist, emphasizing their physical condition, not identity, or personality. In the conditions where traditional and patriarchal relations, heterosexual codes, common binary division of everything, prevail, all the above-mentioned reproduce inequality even further.

HLB βioMαth: Sentinel network and research

The citrus Huanglongbing (HLB), recognized as the most devastating citrus disease worldwide, was detected in Sao Paulo state, Brazil in 2004. The HLB management strategy employed in São Paulo is based on preventing new infections by reducing the inoculum (certified planting seedlings, psyllid control and removal of symptomatic plants). However, HLB continues to disseminate, reaching two neighbor states. In Brazil, citrus is cultivated country-wide (88% of the microregions produce citrus, responding for more than 30% of the planted area). If this dissemination pattern persists, there is a risk of emergence of HLB in areas not yet affected. To face this problem, exclusion strategies and early detection/eradication are crucial, specifically, tools, information and support for the action of phytosanitary defense agencies. The objectives of this Network are generate information that allows to defense phytosanitary agencies prioritize, anticipate or reassess actions relating to the exclusion or eradication of HLB, focusing on preventive actions to areas still unaffected. Since 2010, dataset (presence/absence of vector and bacteria, vector population measurements, etc.) are being obtained from different eco-regions of Brazil: south (cold), northeast (including semi-arid region) and north (amanzon). The analysis of the data until now shows that in the south and north regions the presence of the vector is uncommon or even rare. In contrast, in the northeast the presence is very common, and in the semi-arid region, the vector occurs, but in less abundant and sporadic fashion. Symptomatic plants and insect collected in all regions were tested and did not show the presence of the bacteria.

The chicken gastrointestinal microbiome

The domestic chicken is a common model organism for human biological research and of course also forms the basis of a global protein industry. Recent methodological advances have spurred the recognition of microbiomes as complex communities with important influences on the health and disease status of the host. In this minireview, we provide an overview of the current state of knowledge of the chicken gastrointestinal microbiome focusing on spatial and temporal variability, the presence and importance of human pathogens, the influence of the microbiota on the immune system, and the importance of the microbiome for poultry nutrition. Review and meta-analysis of public data showed cecal communities dominated by Firmicutes and Bacteroides at the phylum level, while at finer levels of taxonomic resolution, a phylogenetically diverse assemblage of microorganisms appears to have similar metabolic functions that provide important benefits to the host as inferred from metagenomic data. This observation of functional redundancy may have important implications for management of the microbiome. We foresee advances in strategies to improve gut health in commercial operations through management of the intestinal microbiota as an alternative to in-feed subtherapeutic antibiotics, improvements in pre- and probiotics, improved management of polymicrobial poultry diseases, and better control of human pathogens via colonization reduction or competitive exclusion strategies.

A critical evaluation of cultural methods for the identification of atoxigenic Aspergillus flavus isolates for aflatoxin mitigation in pistachio orchards of Iran

Aflatoxin contamination of tree nuts is a growing concern for pistachio producing countries. Development of competitive exclusion strategies through application of atoxigenic Aspergillus flavus iso- lates is a highly effective route of natural aflatoxin mitigation. Aflatoxin assays conducted on a high num- ber of native A. flavus isolates are a first step to identify potential biological control isolates. Many cultural methods for the rapid and visual identification of atoxigenic A. flavus isolates have been described. The current study identified atoxigenic A. flavus isolates from Iranian pistachio orchards using and contrasting cultural, analytical and molecular methods. Ammonium vapour (AV) and fluorescence detection (FD), two rapid aflatoxin assays, were directly compared using various media preparations to screen 524 A. flavus isolates ob- tained from Iranian pistachio orchards. Percentages of false negatives were high using FD assays for all media preparationsrangingfrom13to15%.Thisincontrastto AV assays. Here incidences of false negatives ranged from 0 % (using coconut agar medium) to 7.2 % (using potato dextrose agar). Aflatoxin-producing ability of all isolates was further confirmed using thin layer- and high-performance liquid chromatography. Sixty three atoxigenic A. flavus isolates were identified as atoxigenic in all assays. For these isolates, five loci across the aflatoxin biosynthesis cluster path- way were compared to identify genetic defects explaining atoxigenicity. Genetic deletions in at least one of five loci in the aflatoxin biosynthesis path- way were found for 97 % of isolates. Frequencies of atoxigenic strains ranged from 7.1 to 37.5 % with the lowest incidence detected in the Kerman prov- ince. Proper identification of atoxigenic isolates is considered a first step in the development of biolog- ical control strategies. Ability of identified isolates to competitively exclude aflatoxin-producing fungi has to be further investigated.

Pariahs or Partners? Inclusion and Exclusion of Radical Right Parties and the Effects on Their Policy Positions

This article investigates the effects of inclusion and exclusion on the policy agendas of radical right parties. Radical right parties face diverging political opportunity structures in Western Europe. In some countries, the prospect of office has become a realistic option since the beginning of this century; in other countries radical right parties remain ostracised by mainstream parties. Research has focused mainly on the electoral effects of inclusion and exclusion strategies. Systematic analyses of the effects on policy agendas are scarce. This article focuses on the policy positions of radical right parties with respect to the key issues of immigration and integration. The finding is that ostracised parties have not changed much over time, but there is no evidence that cordons sanitaires have a freezing effect. Contrary to expectations, non-ostracised parties have not become more moderate over time. After the turn of the millennium, non-ostracised radical right parties have become just as radical as their ostracised cousins.

The interplay between Campylobacter and Helicobacter species and other gastrointestinal microbiota of commercial broiler chickens.

BackgroundPoultry represent an important source of foodborne enteropathogens, in particular thermophilic Campylobacter species. Many of these organisms colonize the intestinal tract of broiler chickens as harmless commensals, and therefore, often remain undetected prior to slaughter. The exact reasons for the lack of clinical disease are unknown, but analysis of the gastrointestinal microbiota of broiler chickens may improve our understanding of the microbial interactions with the host.MethodsIn this study, the fecal microbiota of 31 market-age (56-day old) broiler chickens, from two different farms, was analyzed using high throughput sequencing. The samples were then screened for two emerging human pathogens, Campylobacter concisus and Helicobacter pullorum, using species-specific PCR.ResultsThe gastrointestinal microbiota of chickens was classified into four potential enterotypes, similar to that of humans, where three enterotypes have been identified. The results indicated that variations between farms may have contributed to differences in the microbiota, though each of the four enterotypes were found in both farms suggesting that these groupings did not occur by chance. In addition to the identification of Campylobacter jejuni subspecies doylei and the emerging species, C. concisus, C. upsaliensis and H. pullorum, several differences in the prevalence of human pathogens within these enterotypes were observed. Further analysis revealed microbial taxa with the potential to increase the likelihood of colonization by a number of these pathogens, including C. jejuni.ConclusionDepletion of these taxa and the addition of taxa that compete with these pathogens, may form the basis of competitive exclusion strategies to eliminate them from the gastrointestinal tract of chickens.

Getting into teams in physical education and exclusion processes among students

Although splitting up a class into teams is a consistent didactical element in physical education (PE), it is under-investigated in terms of how students handle the social dynamics in these situations. Therefore, the present study examines the strategies of exclusion as markers for non-recognition when students are split up into teams/pairs. The data set includes video data from 6 different classes (a total of 59 video sequences) and 40 video-stimulated recall interviews with children who were excluded when the class was split up into teams/pairs or with children that excluded others. Sociograms as well as PE teacher ratings about their students’ sport competence were also analysed. Four different exclusion and inclusion strategies were identified: accepting or ignoring “assurance strategies” before the class is split up into teams/pairs, negotiating the affiliation of an individual when students get into pairs, publicly denying the affiliation to a team, and publicly negotiating the individual’s value for a team. The findings show that students use the team-selection proceedings and situations when the class was split up into teams as opportunities to transmit non-recognition. The social order was publicly demonstrated and legitimated.

Heart team approach for left atrial appendage therapies: in addition to stroke prevention-is electrical isolation important?

Background The left atrial appendage (LAA) has been identified as a culprit for thromboembolic complications in the setting of atrial fibrillation (AF). LAA amputation has been integral to surgical treatment of AF since its early inception. As such, strategies to eliminate blood flow within the LAA have been developed and have proven their efficacy in preventing thromboembolic complications (1). These techniques are based on creating a mechanical barrier eliminating the LAA from blood flow, thereby preventing stasis that will cause thrombus formation. This mechanical barrier can be placed either endocardially (using either catheter-based techniques or sutures during open heart surgery) or epicardially. The main difference between these two approaches is that epicardial techniques involve the external application of mechanical force at the base of the LAA, hence truly closing the neck of LAA at its orifice, which over time leads to irreversible LAA fibrosis and subsequent disappearance (2). Only recently has the focus shifted towards the LAA, due to thromboembolic complications after oral anticoagulation in patients with elevated CHADS-VASC scores (1). But more importantly, the negative electrophysiological properties of the LAA might become a game changer as endocardial and epicardial LAA exclusion strategies produce different electrophysiological results.

Production of Organic Acids by Probiotic Lactobacilli Can Be Used to Reduce Pathogen Load in Poultry

Probiotic Lactobacillus can be used to reduce the colonization of pathogenic bacteria in food animals, and therefore reduce the risk of foodborne illness to consumers. As a model system, we examined the mechanism of protection conferred by Lactobacillus species to inhibit C. jejuni growth in vitro and reduce colonization in broiler chickens. Possible mechanisms for the reduction of pathogens by lactobacilli include: 1) stimulation of adaptive immunity; 2) alteration of the cecal microbiome; and, 3) production of inhibitory metabolites, such as organic acids. The Lactobacillus species produced lactic acid at concentrations sufficient to kill C. jejuni in vitro. We determined that lactic acid produced by Lactobacillus disrupted the membrane of C. jejuni, as judged by biophotonics. The spectral features obtained using Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) and Raman spectroscopy techniques were used to accurately predict bacterial viability and differentiate C. jejuni samples according to lactic acid treatment. FT-IR spectral features of C. jejuni and Lactobacillus grown in co-culture revealed that the metabolism was dominated by Lactobacillus prior to the killing of C. jejuni. Based on our results, the development of future competitive exclusion strategies should include the evaluation of organic acid production.

Attribute exclusion strategies in airline choice: accounting for exogenous information on decision maker processing strategies in models of discrete choice

We examine the impact of individual-specific information processing strategies (IPSs) on the inclusion/exclusion of attributes on the parameter estimates and behavioural outputs of models of discrete choice. Current practice assumes that individuals employ a homogenous IPS with regards to how they process attributes of stated choice (SC) experiments. We show how information collected exogenous of the SC experiment on whether respondents either ignored or considered each attribute may be used in the estimation process, and how such information provides outputs that are IPS segment specific. We contend that accounting the inclusion/exclusion of attributes will result in behaviourally richer population parameter estimates.

Greening Urban Renewal

This article uses a case study of Spokane, Washington’s preparations for Expo ’74 to examine the environmental dimensions of urban renewal. Scholars often think of urban renewal as a planning project influenced by distinct racial exclusion, economic development, and urban design strategies. However, this article shows how environmental strategies—particularly the rise of urban environmentalism and the production of urban green space—had on urban renewal processes. As Spokane’s downtown elites planned for the environmentally themed World’s Fair, they used environmental strategies not only to promote the fair and the city but also to displace low-income residents and transform the downtown riverfront landscape. Understanding how the environment has been used by powerful groups as a tool of social power not only yields insights into the history of urban renewal in the 1960s and early 1970s but also highlights potential pitfalls in contemporary urban sustainability planning.

Abstract 5340: Standardization of cancer stem cell enumeration and isolation methods allows cross comparison among different tumor entities

Abstract Growing knowledge concerning tumor heterogeneity has increased the importance of analyzing tumor resident cell and stem cell subpopulations. In particular, cancer stem cells (CSCs), also called tumor initiating cells, have gained substantial interest in the research field over the past few years. CSCs have been isolated from multiple tumor entities and were shown to play a crucial role during tumor growth and metastasis. However, isolation and analysis of CSCs even from single tumor entities like melanoma showed contradictory results among different research groups. This can at least partially be explained by variations in the dissociation and isolation methods used. One critical point that has to be considered during the analysis of putative CSC markers is that the procedure used for dissociation of primary tissue prior to staining may cause a technical bias. Aggressive proteases, such as trypsin, which cleave off several CSC surface markers like ABCB5 or CD44, may cause incorrect results concerning the differential expression of sensitive markers (Civenni et al., 2011). A further source of non-reproducible findings is the use of antibodies that are specific to sub-forms of cell surface markers. Glycosylation and splice-isoform dependent epitopes, as found for e.g. CD24 and CD133, are differentially expressed among tissues and cell states. In particular, it was shown that the AC133 epitope but not the entire CD133 protein expression is lost upon CSC differentiation (Kemper et al., 2010). We have developed a standardized platform that allows fast and highly reproducible CSC enumeration and isolation from various tumor tissues. This platform includes automated and therefore user independent procedures for dissociation of human and implanted mouse tumor tissue without degradation of cell surface epitopes yielding high amounts of single cells at viabilities around 90%. Furthermore, antibody conjugates of clones recognizing epitopes shown to be relevant for CSC analysis were generated and tested on cell lines as well as primary tumor tissue allowing for the quantification and isolation of CSCs. As a proof of principle, highly viable populations of CD133+ and CD45−/CD24−/CD44+ CSCs were efficiently isolated from a glioblastoma at 86% and an invasive ductal mamma carcinoma at 94% purity, respectively. In addition, optimized gating and exclusion strategies are presented avoiding analytical bias for flow cytometry-based CSC quantification from primary tissue as shown for human melanoma tissue. By using reliable methods for the analysis of CSCs from various origins, a major cause of conflicting results in this field may be minimized and comparisons of these subpopulations among distinct tumor entities will be possible. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 5340. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-5340

Exclusion and Control: Patterns Aimed at Limiting the Influence of Faculty of Color

This article reports on findings from a grounded theory study of the experiences of faculty of color (FOC) in predominantly Euro-American schools of nursing. Findings indicate that a dominant group sometimes referred to as the "Good Old Girls" posed a major barrier to change. To maintain the status-quo, the Good Old Girls used their influence to subject FOC to Patterns of Exclusion and Control with the goal of controlling the influence of FOC. This occurred through parallel and interrelated exclusion and control subprocesses. Exclusion and control strategies threatened FOC's success in academe while simultaneously jeopardizing their well-being. The exclusion strategies FOC experienced included Invalidation of Sense of Self, Othering, and Unequal Standards and Access to Resources. The control strategies included Insincerity and Putting You in Your Place. We describe each of these processes in detail and end with a discussion of the implications of our findings for educational practice.

‘No French, no more’: language-based exclusion in North America's first professional accounting association, 1879–1927

1This paper draws on Bourdieu's sociolinguistic theory to interpret the overrepresentation of Anglophone accountants vis-à-vis Francophone comptables in the formative years of North America's first professional accounting association. In a linguistic market, where English was taken for granted as the official language of commerce, we find that the founding members of the Association of Accountants in Montreal (AAM) possessed a ‘distinctive’ cultural and linguistic habitus. We observe that the AAM enacted for many years a number of exclusion strategies to effectively limit its admittance of Francophone compatibles who possessed a different cultural and linguistic habitus. When the AAM eventually did explicitly embrace Francophone memberships, this was in order to counter the threat of a rival accounting designation.

Arsenic distribution in soils and plants of an arsenic impacted former mining area

A mining area affected by the abandoned exploitation of an arsenical tungsten deposit was studied in order to assess its arsenic pollution level and the feasibility of native plants for being used in phytoremediation approaches. Soil and plant samples were collected at different distances from the polluting sources and analysed for their As content and distribution. Critical soil total concentrations of As were found, with values in the range 70–5330mgkg−1 in the uppermost layer. The plant community develops As tolerance by exclusion strategies. Of the plant species growing in the most polluted site, the shrubs Salix atrocinerea Brot. and Genista scorpius (L.) DC. exhibit the lowest bioaccumulation factor (BF) values for their aerial parts, suggesting their suitability to be used with revegetation purposes. The species Scirpus holoschoenus L. highlights for its important potential to stabilise As at root level, accumulating As contents up to 3164mgkg−1.

Efficacy of a micro-encapsulated formulation compared with a sticky barrier for excluding ants from citrus canopies

Inesfly IGR FITO ® is an insecticidal paint containing chlorpyrifos and pyriproxyfen incorporated in a micro-encapsulated formulation that confers the advantage of releasing active ingredients slowly. In this study, a 15-cm band of Inesfly IGR FITO ® was painted around citrus trunks. The efficacy of this paint and a sticky barrier to exclude ants from foraging in citrus trees was evaluated in two citrus orchards during the season in two different ant communities, one dominated by Lasius grandis and the other by Linepithema humile. Field results demonstrated that a single application of Inesfly IGR FITO ® at the beginning of the season was highly effective in excluding ants from canopies throughout the season. Inesfly IGR FITO ® provides an efficient and more economical alternative than current ant exclusion strategies used in many perennial crops. Further studies should be performed to determine the effects of this strategy on other pests and on beneficial arthropods in citrus.

Pathogen Exclusion from Eco‐Epidemiological Systems

Increasing concerns about the changing environment and the emergence of pathogens that cross species boundaries have added to the urgency of understanding the dynamics of complex ecological systems infected by pathogens. Of particular interest is the often counterintuitive way in which infection and predation interact and the consequent difficulties in designing control strategies to manage the system. To understand the mechanisms involved, we focus on the pathogen exclusion problem, using control maps (on which the network of exclusion thresholds are plotted) in order to readily identify which exclusion strategies will work and why others will not. We apply this approach to the analysis of parasite exclusion in two game bird ecologies. For higher dimensions, we propose a computational scheme that will generate the optimal exclusion strategy, taking into account all operational constraints on the pathogen invasion matrix, populations, and controls. The situation is further complicated when external forcing distorts pathogen thresholds. This distortion is highly sensitive to the lags between forcing components, a sensitivity that can be exploited by management using correctly lagged cyclically varying controls to reduce the effort involved in pathogen exclusion.

Community and the geography of people with intellectual disability

In their localized forms it is often hard to tell exclusion from inclusion, due to the complex multidimensional nature of these processes. In this paper I argue that an analytical distinction between various types and elements of community is necessary in order to make sense of exclusion, and in order to develop appropriate strategies to facilitate inclusion for marginalized populations. This issue is discussed in the context of people with intellectual disabilities and the community-care movement in the State of Victoria, Australia. Community-care relies on a range of interpretations of the notion of community, and is implemented within a variety of actual communities, giving rise to different forms of exclusion and different strategies of inclusion.